It finally feels like summer is actually going to happen. And that makes me one happy camper! The beautiful weather we’ve had this week, and will have through the weekend, was well worth the wait. Do you ever think about how much our moods are correlated with the weather?! Mother nature has some serious power over us!

On to business … I wasn’t too surprised by how much I loved this salad. Bright fresh veggies, super tender chicken, all smothered in peanut sauce, it’s a winning combination! If you’re going to a cookout or pot luck and are looking for a different salad to bring (we’ve all had the typical pasta salad and potato salad a million times), this is it. I prefer and recommend serving it room temp or cold, but Aaron liked his warm, so you can do whatever you like! Have a safe and happy holiday weekend 🙂

Spicy Peanut and Chicken Noodle Salad

1 lb. chicken breasts, shredded

red, green and orange (or yellow) bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 package japanese soba noodles (I found them at Metcalfe’s, but you could also use spaghetti instead)

Poach the chicken breast by bringing a medium sauce pot of water to a boil. Place the chicken in the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Set chicken aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle shred by hand. *I have to say this is my go-to method to cook chicken that I plan to dice or shred, it’s always super tender!

Prepare the peanut sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the noodles according to the package directions. Rinse the noodles with cold water.

Combine the noodles, chicken, vegetables, and peanut sauce in a very large bowl. Mix until evenly coated in sauce. Serve room temperature or cold.